Contrast For better or worse
by Mistylight
Summary: Remus Lupin is the werewolf. Claire O'Reilly is the mudblood in Slytherin. Both shunned by their former friends, they turn to each other for help. Gryffindor and Slytherin. Lion and Snake. Beast and outcast. Who could have known that they could have grown so close? AU. Starts in their second year. This is NOT a romance fic. Previously The wolf of the moon, the outcast of snakes
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, obviously AU. It starts in the middle of Remus' and Claire's second year. In this story, the marauders don't accept Remus for what he is. As I said, this is NOT a romance fic. It is just a friendship fic. Criticism welcome, but has to be constructive!**

Remus's POV

Remus eased himself off the bed, making sure that his bed curtains were closed before he began to dress. It would not so to have his friends see his scars. They would connect the dots right away. His disappearances, his sickly appearance once a month, his insistence that they not follow him to the Hospital Wing. They would know he was a werewolf. And that would lead to disaster.

He stepped out into the dormitory, intending to go to the bathroom for a quick shower, when he is ambushed by James and Sirius, shoving him to the ground, their wands at his throat. Behind them, Peter stood, watching. Remus paled.

"James? Si-sirius?" , he stuttered, his heart beating quickly. Had they…found out his secret?

"We know about your _monthly disappearances_, Lupin, you wouldn't fool us for long." Sirius snarled. James prodded Remus' neck with his wand, making Remus swallow nervously, staring up at them with fear in his eyes.

James spat in disgust. "What was Dumbledore thinking, making us share a room with a _beast._"

Tears welled up in Remus' eyes at the word, and at his friends' hatred.

Before he knew it, he was sitting in Dumbledore's office, eyes averted from his friends' faces.

"But he's a danger to everyone in the school, Professor!" James argued, Hazel eyes burning with anger.

Dumbledore merely said, "Mr Potter, I assure you that we have taken the appropriate safety measures to ensure the werewolf does not harm anyone. After all, there have been no issues so far, and it has been a year and a half since he was enrolled here."

"No issues _yet_, Professor." Sirius spat.

Fifteen minutes later, the duo had agreed to keep their mouths shut about Remus' lycanthropy, but they would never be friends again.

Claire's POV

As Claire descended into the Slytherin common room, she immediately knew that something was wrong. Her Housemates were whispering among themselves, some shooting her dirty glances.

Rodolphus Lestrange, a disgusting brute of a seventh year, shoved his way over to her. Claire immediately drew hew wand, but kept it hidden within the folds of her robes.

Rodolphus stopped in front of her, sneering, "Did you really think you could hide your blood status, _mudblood_? Let's teach you a lesson, shall we, Bella?"

Bellatrix Black, a well-known Death Eater wannabe, draped her arm around Lestrange's shoulder, drawling lazily, "How about we lock her in a cupboard for a day or two? Let her know what happens if she tries to keep secrets."

Claire shuddered, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Who knew the tortures she would have to endure…

**R and R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok. I know I've neglected this story, and for that I apologise. I've been busy studying stuff four freaking years ahead of my level, and my mum is stressing me out. Thanks to those who read and reviewed this story! Enjoy! **

Remus' POV

Remus kept his head down the next few days. Sirius and James had taken to pranking him cruelly, and in all honesty, Remus could not say that he blamed them. He was lucky to even have am education, being the monster that he was.

A wave of self-loathing and disgust crashed over him, as he thought about the wolf that he became every month. The monster that was so desperate for blood it turned on itself, scarring him.

He was on him way to Potions in the dungeons with Slughorn when he bumped against someone, accidentally knocking her to the ground. The girl was a Slytherin in the same year as him, and he prepared for a barbed insult. When none came, he offered his hand to the girl, who gratefully accepted it. The girl had dark brown, almost black hair that reached her waist, and warm chocolate brown eyes.

"Thank you. I'm really sorry." She said, but she seemed slightly in pain, as though she had hit a fresh bruise when she fell. Remus noticed a purplish bruise on her chin, forming a "C" shape.

"It was my fault, really. I should have paid more attention." He insisted, and was relieved when she finally accepted the statement.

Noticing that the girl seemed lonely, he offered to walk her to Potions, and she accepted his offer with a wide smile. During the walk, they exchanged introductions. Her name was Claire O'Reilly. He was shocked. He was certain that O'Reilly was not a wizarding name, but he was of the impression that only pure-bloods were accepted into Slytherin.

"I'm a muggle-born." She spoke up, confirming his suspicions. "My housemates found out a few days ago, locked me in a cupboard for two days." She added bitterly, her eyes flashing with fury.

Before he knew it, he was comforting the girl, and inviting her to be his Potions partner.

Claire's POV

Claire stirred the potion gently as Remus added in the powdered unicorn horn. She was much more relaxed around him than any of her "friends" in her House. Around them, she was always tense and uptight, fearful of letting the fact that she was a "mudblood" slip. For mudbloods were considered filth, and Slytherins _hated_ filth.

They both relaxed as the potion turned into its desired indigo colour. Slughorn came over to them, awarding them ten points each for the successful potion.

As Claire waited for the class to end, the unexpected happened.

Her potion exploded.

She and Remus were flung backwards by the blast, landing next to the last people she wanted to meet. Her fellow Slytherins flung curses at the duo, causing them to sprout large, painful boils all as over their bodies. James Potter and Sirius Black surprisingly joined in, causing their heads to expand.

As Claire passed out from the pain, she could only feel confusion. What had turned Potter and Black against their best friend, Remus?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for not updating, I was really lazy. Enjoy!**

Claire's POV

Things had escalated. I wasn't allowed in the Slytherin Common Room, so Remus took me in, giving me the spare bed in his dormitory, although we were of opposite gender.

"I know what it's like to be an outcast." That was all he had said when I asked him why he had been so kind to me.

Together, we suffered the hostility of his former friends. Two weeks had passed, and there was rarely a day when we did not have to go to the Hospital Wing to treat the injuries they and the Slytherins had caused. They had gotten detention, many times, and they were even summoned to the headmaster's office once, but they refused to stop.

One day, Remus seemed ill. Very ill. At first I thought it was the work of our tormentors, but it was clearly something worse. He had no appetite, and he had a fever, and he was much more aggressive than usual.

I took him to the Hospital Wing, but halfway there he stopped me. "If I was a monster, would you still be my friend? Or would you treat me like the Marauder's do?" he rasped, staring at me in the eyes.

I was confused, to say the least. Remus couldn't be a monster, could he?

I didn't know what to say, so I followed my heart. "Even if you were a monster, I would not think of you as one. You were kind to me, you are my friend. And you will always be my friend." I said.

He hesitated, before dragging my down a corridor and into an empty classroom. He pulled me a chair, and walked in a straight line, pacing forward and backward, clearly hesitant and anxious, and slightly fearful. Finally, hje gathered his guts and stopped in front of me.

And the words he whispered were dreadful ones.

He was a werewolf. For a moment, I was repulsed, disgusted even. Remus must have seen my expression, for his hopeful expression crumbled into one of despair, and he turned to leave.

Compassion filled my heart, compassion I did not think could grace my heart, being the Slytherin I truly was. Instinctively, I reached out to grab his hand, stopping him.

"It's alright if you hate me. Just don't tell anyone. I need an education." He whispered, and I knew there were tears running down his cheeks.

"Remus, I'm sorry I reacted that way. I was just shocked, really. You'll always be Remus to me You'll always be my friend. Always. And even though you have a "furry little problem", you are still you. You are still the kind person that helped out a member of a rival House in need, in more ways than one. And where the Marauders rejected you, I promise I'll help you. I promise that I'll make your life easier."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I know I've left this for a long time, but I've been really busy lately. Seeing as I take public transport to and from school, I've had to wake up at 5.45 bloody am and reach home somewhere between 730 and 830 because my idiot 12 year old self took too many bloody electives for my first year in secondary school. I feel damnedly stupid. I don't think damnedly is a word. Currently wishing I have voice recognition on my laptop cause my fingers hurt.**

**Anyway, that's not what you came here to read, so ENJOY!**

Remus' POV

I, for one, could not understand. My three so called 'friends' had abandoned me, wanted me kicked out of school. My friends, who called us brothers in all but blood. They had wanted me gone. And yet, a Slytherin, a snake, who I had barely known a few weeks, she had accepted me. Given, she was an outcast Slytherin due to her lack of blood purity, but a snake no less.

I was scared for a moment, of course. What if she was lying and planned to yell the truth to the school? The news would spread like wildfire. But her eyes were honest. The horror and worry were not for herself, but for me. In those brown orbs, I saw passion, and sympathy. Although I had good vision, that was the first time I noticed the black specks in her iris, diamond shaped and forming a perfect circle around the pupil.

"Remus!" I was broken from my thoughts by her yelling my name. I lifted my head of the library table to greet her. I snickered in amusement as she was reprimanded by Madam Pince, the librarian. So far, the library had been a safe refuge for both of us. The Marauders knew that damaging even one page of one book in the library would ensure they suffered the wrath of Madam Pince. There was a twinge in my heart as I thought of my former friends.

As she sat down and took her books out of her bag, I gasped at the sight of her left hand. There were purplish bruises covering it and she winced when she flexed the muscles in it. I gently caught her hand. "What happened?"

She answered, lowering her eyes. "Your friends thought it would be funny to drop a table on me. Luckily, I managed to avoid it. Well, except for my hand." I shook in rage. How _dare_ they…

"It's alright Remus. I'll go see Madam Pomfrey later." Claire consoled, trying to calm me down.

"No, it's not. I'm going to get them back" I snarled, letting the wolf show through in my eyes.

And that was the day I declared war on my former friends. It was also the day I truly scared my only loyal friend.

**I know it's crappy, but deal with it for now, k?**


End file.
